Which financial metric focuses heavily on valuation?

Free cash flow is a financial metric that provides critical insights into a company's valuation. It measures the amount of cash generated by a business after accounting for capital expenditures necessary to maintain or expand its asset base. This metric is pivotal for investors and analysts because it indicates the cash available to shareholders, whether for dividends, share buybacks, or reinvestment in the business.

Since valuation often hinges on cash generation capability, free cash flow becomes a core component in discounted cash flow (DCF) models, which are widely used to estimate a company's intrinsic value. The focus on cash, rather than accounting profits, aligns with the principle that sustainable business value is driven by actual liquidity rather than reported earnings that can be influenced by various accounting policies.

While other metrics like operating income, net income, and gross profit are important for understanding a company’s operational efficiency and profitability, they do not directly translate to cash availability, which is why free cash flow is particularly emphasized in valuation discussions.